Destiny's Path
by MindlessBlackBird
Summary: Glinda the Good is dead! Long live Glinda the Good! 50 years ago something terrible had happened and Oz truly met its darkest hour. Can Galinda and Elphaba break the curse and save the world, even though they have no clue about their destiny? What did really happen 50 years ago?
1. Prologue

**The characters belong to Gregory Maguire and L. Frank Baum. The story belongs partially to a very good friend of mine who allowed me to write it down for others to read ^^  
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**A little warning note: Femslash. Not only Gelphie. Beware! :D  
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**Have fun reading!  
**

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**Prologue**

"Quick! There's no time to waste!"

It was still dark outside and even the moon seemed to be hiding away behind thick, grey clouds. The streets were empty; nobody was around. Nobody dared to come out at night anymore.

"Please, Your Majesty! We have to hurry!"

The young princess did her best to follow her two companions, but she was exhausted, and her weakened legs were growing tired.

"We're almost there, don't worry." Sensing her exhaustion, one of the older women picked her up and carried her the last few steps to the carriage. The horses neighed nervously as they started to pull the coach; their breath showing clearly in the chilly night air.

"Where are we going?" the girl asked innocently, snuggling up against her guardian. She was four years old, oblivious to the dangers outside. The two women looked at each other troubled, searching for words that would not upset her.

"Someplace safe," the red haired one finally said, gently caressing the child's back. "We will keep you safe," she added quietly, looking outside at the misty forests.

Within the next few hours they passed the Madeleins and Lake Chorge, both only shadows in a vast expanse of darkness. Truly, this was one of Oz's darkest hours.

The sun was creeping above the Scalps as they finally arrived at their destination. The Glikkus was far enough from the Emerald City that they wouldn't be disturbed. The women knew that it was only a matter of time until their pursuers would locate them, but it would be too late by then. They hesitantly entered one of the run-down abandoned emerald mines, the princess clinging to her guardian's hand.

"I'm scared," she whispered timidly. Her whole body was shivering from the freezing air inside the pit.

"Don't worry. We won't let anything happen to you," the redhead smiled reassuringly. Both relieved and nervous, she took a deep breath as they reached the spot they were looking for. The walls of the cave were covered in glowing crystals, bathing the cave in radiant blue light. The other woman, a tall blonde, took the girl in her arms.

"You have to do it now, Glinda," she said to the redhead, giving her a last, woeful look.

Glinda shook her head and sighed. The bleak look on her face made the little girl shift uncomfortably. "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have let it get to that point in the first place." she said, guilt plastered across her features. She took a deep breath and hugged both of them wistfully for the last time, trying to choke back the brimming tears. "I promise to come and get you when it's over, Tattypoo," she said, turning to the blonde woman and taking the little Princess Ozma's hand. "And please forgive me too, my dear Princess Ozma."

With that, the red haired witch started to chant. Both the blonde, the Good Witch of the North, and Princess Ozma started to glow just as brilliantly blue as the crystals surrounding them. Within seconds they were encased in a permanent block of ice – trapped like bugs in amber.

With tears in her eyes, Glinda turned on her heel and strode out of the mine. The soldiers were already near, searching for the royal fugitives. Quickly, her bubble materialized, carrying her back home to Quadling Country. Quadling Country, which used to be a beautiful land, full of flowers and other rare plants. The people had been happy and wealthy, just like every other citizen. They had lived in peace and harmony, until the soldiers completely destroyed everything they had and everything they were.

It wasn't surprising when they came for Glinda, laying her beautiful Ruby Palace to waste. They pillaged, burned, and plundered every town on their way and took the precious rubies. They killed and raped any resister; man, woman, or child.

Fortunately, they didn't find Glinda's hiding place in a tiny, cramped room underneath the palace, cowering in the dark as her world was destroyed above her.

According to legend, although no one is sure of her fate, she put herself into a very long slumber, if only to avoid starvation. Some say she may still be sleeping, locked under her devastated palace, but her body was never found.

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**R&R**


	2. Chapter 1

**Have lots of fun reading :D  
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**Chapter 1**

_50 years later_

Crage Hall. Shiz.

The exhausting first semester came to a long awaited end. Though finals weren't over yet, Galinda Arduenna Upland of the upper Uplands couldn't care less. She was waiting for her special day with gleeful anticipation. Her 18th birthday was about to come and she was busy making sure that nobody would forget about it. She had planned her party long ago, and had invited all her new, wealthy friends from her first semester at Crage Hall. Of course, the festivities would take place at her colossal mansion in Frottica. The blonde spent her time thinking about every little detail: There would be a big and glamorous ball with lots of marriageable young men. Her ball gown would be the most beautiful, making her the most beautiful girl in all of Oz. She would walk down the stairs like a fairytale princess; everybody would look at her and admire her beauty. Of course, she would act as if she wasn't aware of that fact.

It would be her big day, and nobody was going to destroy it.

With this thought, she looked up from her notebook to the other, less pink side of the room. She definitely wouldn't invite one Elphaba Thropp. It didn't matter if she would be the next Eminent of Munchkinland or not.

The green girl in question was sitting on her plain bed, her nose shoved into an old book about the history of Oz. She had been sitting this way for hours, never moving one bit. Galinda hadn't even seen her use the bathroom once in the past few hours. They had an important test about the Great Drought the next day, which was why the green girl was studying, but Galinda was way too busy with her birthday party plans.

"Pink roses or white ones?" she pondered aloud, sinking into her countless piles of pink cushions.

"What about crepe myrtles?" asked the green girl dubiously, glancing up from her book to look doubtfully at Galinda.

Galinda huffed, annoyed, and sat up. "Creep what?" she asked obliviously, putting her notebook on her nightstand. The green girl didn't speak to her very often, and if she did, it usually wasn't a compliment or something nice. So every time Elphaba dared to speak to her, the Upland girl was more than slightly alarmed.

"The crepe myrtle was the symbol of the Great Drought," Elphaba informed her, amused by the confused look on the blonde's face. "Because it was one of the only flowers which survived without any water."

Though, for a short moment, Galinda tried to think about this, she wasn't able to concentrate long enough to actually form an opinion on this piece of information.

"Oh, whatever. I'll take both," she chirped happily and got up to tell Pfannee and Shenshen about her grand decision.

Elphaba just shook her head, pitying the man who would someday marry this girl, and returned to her studies. Unlike Galinda, Elphaba was perfectly prepared for the upcoming tests. She knew everything she had to know to ensure that she passed and was now going into detail. The green girl was exceedingly interested in the history of Oz and, although she would never admit it, she enjoyed reading ancient Ozian lore about fairies and witches. Witches were nothing special nowadays. Yes, sorcery was taught at Shiz, but still: the real witches, the powerful great witches didn't exist anymore, so it seemed. None of Miss Greyling's students could perform anything more impressive than basic domestic spells. They were able to levitate things and prepare breakfast, but in case of emergency, their magical skills wouldn't help them in any way.

The ancient witches, however, had the power to protect the people of Oz. They used their magic to build houses and grow corn. They made Oz a happy and peaceful land.

The green girl removed her glasses and gently rubbed the sore spot between her eyes. Elphaba Thropp was not one of those who believed in magic. Magic existed, nobody could deny that, but it was merely a trifling matter, and nothing people should waste their time with. In her humble opinion, the girls who studied sorcery did it for two simple reasons: to look smart without racking themselves and to party and meet some wealthy future husband. To corroborate this theory, one must simply look at Galinda Upland, who was the perfect example.

Chuckling quietly to herself, Elphaba went to the bathroom to prepare herself for the night. She had started to study very early in the day, so she was quite tired. Her roommate was still out and about, breaking the curfew again, when Elphaba reentered the dorm room. Though she somehow pitied Galinda whenever she sobbed herself to sleep after she got a bad mark, she still wanted to see when the blonde airhead finally realized the connection between studying and good grades.


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: Great news!  
**

**I finally found a new beta reader, so I can continue this story. A big thank you to denpa wave chick saki who is gorgeous beyond measure.  
**

**Chapter 3 will follow shortly and more are to come. In the meantime, enjoy a beta-read chapter 2 :D  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

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**Chapter 2**

The sun was vaguely perceptible behind the Madeleines as they reached the train station in Shiz. The morning was chilly and befogged, so the girls flocked together as they waited for the train to arrive, happily chatting about Galinda's upcoming birthday. However, there was a tiny factor that spoiled the cheery atmosphere. Their eyes fell on a certain green girl standing a few feet away, reading a book about Gillikin as she was waiting. Unfortunately, Galinda had told her parents about her 'royal' roommate. They had insisted to meet her and so the blonde had to bring Elphaba Thropp Third Descending with her to Frottica.

Elphaba herself wasn't very pleased either, but her roommate had continued bugging her two weeks straight, knowing that her parents wouldn't accept a simple "no". To make matters worse, Ama Clutch interfered in their discussion, telling them what a great idea it would be to bring Elphaba along. Finally the green girl agreed on one condition: Galinda would have to wash her clothes along with her own for one month. Oh, Elphaba surely would enjoy that view.

It was the first time for the Munchkinlander to travel by train. She was not particularly thrilled to share a compartment with the other girls, but at least she wouldn't have to buy a ticket.

Lucky for her, Galinda and the others were too busy talking about what to wear than to bother Elphaba. However, from time to time they turned their heads warily, looking at her as if to see whether she was planning on sneaking up on them, but the green girl was too consumed by the gorgeous scenery on the other side of the window. She only had eyes for the mysterious dark forests, the beautiful green fields full of red and yellow flowers, farmhouses and mountains older than Lurline herself. Sure there were mountains in Munchkinland and Quadling Country, but it was the composition that made Gillikin so special.

* * *

The ride took the whole day and the closer they got to Frottica, the more mountainous the scenery got. Elphaba didn't see much of Settica and Wittica, for it was already getting late when they passed by.

They arrived in Frottica late at night and the stars seemed to shine brighter up here than in Shiz, Elphaba thought.

"We're there, duckies," Ama Clutch announced happily as she shooed the girls and their Amas to the carriage. Because Elphaba was Galinda's roommate, they shared a ride to the mansion. Though the blonde wasn't very pleased, one could clearly spot the excitement of being back home. It was dark outside but she pretended to enjoy the view, rather than to look at Elphaba. The dark haired girl was too tired to make a witty comment about her staring in the blackness of night.

Another fifteen minutes later they finally arrived at the Upland residence. A few servants started to carry the suitcases to the many guest rooms. The girls, Elphaba included, couldn't help but stare at what Galinda called "home". Some compared it to the Emerald Palace, but less green. There were a vast number of windows and it was almost as big as Crage Hall. Galinda's parents, Highmuster and Larena, stood in the entrance hall, already waiting for their precious little girl.

"Welcome home, honey bee," her father said softly and hugged her. He was taller than her with red hair and a red moustache. Obviously he was a great eater too, for Galinda's hands weren't able to touch as she wrapped her arms around his torso. Nonetheless his features seemed kind and gentle.

Her mother, on the other hand, was blonde like her daughter, with green eyes and delicate features. Despite being in her mid-forties she had only few wrinkles and was still a very attractive woman. To Elphaba she seemed a bit distant, though, like a queen observing her subjects.

"You must be terribly tired," Highmuster said, finally releasing his daughter. "We will await you tomorrow morning for breakfast."

The green girl knew that they were staring at her as she followed the others to the sleeping quarters. She clearly heard a "Who is that?" from Larena as she thought Elphaba wouldn't hear her. With a soft sigh she entered the guest room and examined it. It was huge, like the rest of the house. The bed was large enough for four or five Munchkins.

* * *

She didn't sleep very well that night. The unused space in this room created an echo and made her feel rather uncomfortable. This feeling lasted until the next day as people were staring at her at the breakfast table.

Finally, Highmuster cleared his throat. "You must be Miss Elphaba. Galinda told us so much about you," he lied. Actually, Ama Clutch had informed them the other day, affirming that she was a nice girl despite of her skin color.

"Tell us something about Colwen Grounds," he continued, trying to break the awkward silence.

Elphaba thought about what to say as Galinda butted in.

"Excuse me, Popsical, but you can chit chat another time. We really need to hurry if we want to be ready for the big ball tonight." She forced a smile and got up, taking Pfannee, Shenshen and Milla with her.

* * *

"Ugh, why in Oz's name did we have to take her with us?" Shenshen huffed and sat down on Galinda's bed. Her room was pink all over, full of toys and plush animals. She had her own dressing room and an extra room for accessories. While Pfannee and Milla were gazing in amazement, Shenshen started to brush Galinda's hair.

"My parents wanted to meet the great-granddaughter of the Eminence. I guess I should have warned them that she is not only green as a tree frog, but also pretty boring," the blonde sneered and checked her manicured nails, scratching at some imaginary imperfection.

"Maybe we should be a bit nicer to Miss Elphaba," Milla mumbled meekly, biting her bottom lip. As a rather tiny Munchkin she knew what it was like to be mocked and didn't want to be like them. Because of this, she usually excused the others when they did something mean.

Shenshen and Galinda gave her an annoyed look and frowned.

"For real? If you like her that much, why don't you marry the green bean?" The girls burst into laughter while Milla sighed and looked out of the window.

"Oh let her be!" Pfannee took Milla's hand and pulled her back to the bed. "Milla's love for animals is darling, isn't it? Now shush and start to prepare for the ball." She gave the Munchkin girl a look as if saying, _"Don't go your own way. You can only survive inside the flock."_

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While Galinda and her friends were busy preparing themselves for the ball Elphaba didn't even know about, the green girl decided to take a closer look at the house and the well-kept gardens. The first thing she noticed was the symmetry. Everything seemed to be where it was supposed to be. The ornamental trees were trimmed in the shape of globes; flowers of different colors grew in respective areas.

Elphaba followed the graveled path past the mostly pink colored flowers from all parts of Oz, to a life-sized statue of a woman. It was a bit taller than Elphaba was and made out of white stone. Though it seemed to be in good condition it must've been more than forty years old. Elphaba had seen this woman before in one of her books and although it was simply a statue, the beauty of her mesmerized the girl.

"In Memory of Glinda the Good" a sign read, but there was no explanation why she was so important to the Upland family.

Elphaba had read about her earlier. "Glinda the Good" had been one of the four great witches in Oz. She had been the Good Witch of the South and as far as she knew there were no relations to Gillikin. Furthermore this was only an old legend and nobody was sure if she really existed in the first place.

After all, Sir and Lady Upland obviously worshipped her enough to name their daughter after her.

The green girl couldn't deny that she was at least a bit curious about the family backgrounds. However, for the time being she sat down on the stairs of a white pavilion on one of the soft hills and just listened to the wind playing with the leaves of the trees. Birds sung high above and somewhere seemed to be a small creek. With her eyes closed, Elphaba could hear the purling of a shallow stream nearby.


	4. Chapter 3

**As promised, here we go. Have fun reading!  
**

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**Chapter 3**

_51 years earlier_

"Catch me, if you can!" A tiny hand touched the redhead as she was reading a book, causing her to stop and look for the little intruder. She heard a soft giggle, coming from a three year old girl who made her way out of the library. Chuckling, the woman put away the book and followed her, chasing her through the hallways of the palace.

"Where are you, Tippy? Oh, I will never find you…" Following the telltale laughing, she finally found her hiding behind a curtain. "There you are." With a grin she knelt down next to the toddler and took her hands.

"That's not fair, Glinda," the little girl pouted. "You used magic!"

"I didn't! I swear, Your Majesty!" the redhead pleaded playfully and adjusted the princess' green hair bow. Skeptical, the raven haired girl frowned at her guardian, but all of a sudden wrapped her arms around her throat.

"Papa is really upset," she mumbled into Glinda's neck, sobbing. "He sent me away when I wanted to play with him…"

Before Glinda could soothe the princess, one of the maids knocked at the door. Followed by a black Cat, she entered the room. "Your Goodness? The Ozma Regent wants to see you. Lady Locasta is here as well."

The redhead nodded concerned and looked at the little girl in her arms. "Why don't you play with Bastet, while I talk to your father?" Looking at the Cat, the woman got up after kissing Ozma Tippetarius' forehead.

"Don't worry, I will take care of her," Bastet assured the witch while bowing slightly. She patiently let Ozma grab her tail and squeeze her, without a single complaint. After all, she was the princess of Oz, wasn't she?

* * *

Oz was in big trouble lately. The Great Drought had taken its toll. The corn in Munchkinland wasn't growing very well and there were several fires in Gillikin and the Vinkus. The citizens of Oz expected Pastorius to do something about it, but he had no clue how to feed his subjects. Unfortunately Glinda was just as powerless as the other witches.

"You called for me, Your Highness?" Instantly her eyes fell on the blonde woman standing next to Pastorius. Locasta, the Good Witch of the North, dressed in a purple gown – the national color of Gillikin – fixed her turquoise eyes on the redhead and formed a small smile.

"The Eminence of Munchkinland is coming to town today," Pastorius mumbled, rather speaking to himself. He was in his late forties, dressed all in green. Recently he renamed the center of Oz "Emerald City", after the four countries of Oz fought about which color should be the capital city's main color.

"I know that, Your Highness. The book already told me." Glinda took a few steps towards him; her red dress was almost plain next to Locasta's. The blonde witch squeezed her hand and sighed. "We will find a way to overcome this dreadful time of suffering."

"Tell me how! People die every day and none of you can do anything about it. Peerless is coming to me because Abatha is just as useless as you! What are good witches for than to sprinkle fairy dust and look pretty?" the king groaned in frustration and looked at the two through a mirror.

Though being insulted in such a harsh way, Glinda and Locasta tried to calm him down. "Gloma is doing her best to prevent fires in the Vinkus and Abatha tries desperately to make the corn grow. It's true we possess magic, but none of us is almighty, Your Highness. We have to wait for rain, that's all we can do." Locasta looked out of the window, but there was not a single cloud anywhere. "It is not our fault, Your Highness. Nor is it anybody else's."

Glinda shook her head and turned around, as a guard announced the arrival of Peerless Thropp, the current Eminent of Munchkinland. He was rather tall for a Munchkin; still he wore a traditional blue costume. His mother had recently died of old age, making him the next Eminent due to a lack of female offspring. Peerless was in his mid-thirties, looking quite handsome. However, his dark brown eyes stared grimly at Pastorius.

"Would you be so kind and leave us alone?" he asked Locasta and Glinda, though it wasn't a request. Without a single word, the women left, knowing that they couldn't do anything right now anyway.

* * *

"I've been living in Oz for so many years now and served under a dozen of Ozmas, but Pastorius is simply resistant to advice." Glinda sat down on her bed as the two of them retired to her chambers.

"Don't be upset, pigeon. As long as we're around he won't do anything inconsiderate." Locasta put an arm around Glinda's waist and placed her head on her shoulder. "As I said, we will overcome this together."

"I hope you are right, Tattypoo," the redhead mumbled a bit skeptical, closing her eyes.


	5. Chapter 4

**Thank you SO much for the reviews, they really made me jump for joy ^-^  
**

**Quick note before reading this chapter: **I already mentioned that there will be characters from L. Frank Baum (and others) in this fan fiction. This is the first time we meet some of them. When I first used them, I did no background check, I only took the names. Yes, I am careless like that.

For those who actually read some of Baum's 15 Oz books: if a female character suddenly turns out to be a man, nevermind (some really sounded like boy's names!). I didn't want to change the whole thing, but I will be more careful with further characters.

**Have lots of fun reading :D**

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**Chapter 4**

While the other girls were still upstairs, Elphaba stood in the entrance hall and observed Galinda's parents welcoming the guests. The dress she brought was almost plainer than the maids' frocks, while the who's who of Gillikin showed up with bedazzled gowns and the finest suits she'd ever seen.

Most of them didn't even deign to look at the unusual green girl, as if she was a dusty hunting trophy of a rare, extinct animal. Usually Elphaba would ignore them just as well, sitting in her room and reading a book borrowed from Highmuster's ample library, but Ama Clutch had insisted on her taking part at this ceremony.

Though she was the great-granddaughter of the Eminence of Munchkinland, she had never seen such a commotion of rich and influential people. And all that just because of some tiny airhead's birthday? Elphaba wouldn't be surprised to see Galinda ruling Oz one day, just because of her popularity. The thought of it made her feel sick and she hoped that this would never happen.

"Miss Elphaba?" A bit startled the Munchkin girl turned around as someone touched her shoulder. There were so many people she didn't notice the blonde woman approaching her.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I was very excited to hear about our royal guest." she smiled genuinely and made a curtsey. "My name is Elsie. Elsie Arduenna, formerly known as Queen Else of Somewhere, but my kingdom doesn't exist anymore."

Though Elphaba thought this were terrible news, the woman's eyes sparkled with sheer happiness. "Let me introduce you to my family."

Before the green girl could react, Elsie took her hand and dragged her along, across the room. To Elphaba's surprise, there was a huge Bear standing at the far end of the living room, wearing some kind of tuxedo. It was the only Animal she had seen here so far and nobody dared to come near him, except for two men and a girl.

"Alex? I have found her." Elsie announced giddily and introduced them. The older man, Elphaba found out, was Alexample Arduenna, mayor of Wittica and Larena's brother. Their son, Aurex, was a student at the Three-Queens, accompanied by his fiancée Atmos Fere. The Bear was an old friend of the family. His wife had cared for Aurex when he was little, until the Gale Force took her and their little son away.

"We had to do a lot of persuading to be allowed to bring old Cor with us." Alexample told her with a deep sigh and leaned closer to the green girl.

"Most people here are afraid of the Wizard and his soldiers, so they kicked out all their Animal servants. Don't get tricked by the veneer. Everybody has plenty of skeletons in their closets."

Elphaba opened her mouth to make a respond, but was silenced again by the dimming light and a collective gasp. She turned around to the grand stairway everybody was staring at. On top of it Galinda stood, sparkling from head to toe. The blood red gown she wore was bedazzled with rubies all over, her red lips curled to a smile as she started to walk downstairs. Though Elphaba disapproved of such decadence, the blonde reminded her of the statute of Glinda the Good in the backyard for a moment. Perhaps it was just the light, but Galinda seemed to glow, leaving everybody mesmerized. As soon as she stood on the marble floor, Elphaba couldn't see her anymore.

* * *

After the dinner, which was not worth mentioning, the actual show began. Men jumped at the chance to dance with Galinda and she was handed round like a hot potato. Elphaba observed the spectacle from a safe distance and wondered whether her feet were already sore. The shoes didn't look very comfortable, yet she smiled like nothing could harm her.

"Would you care for a dance?" Aurex asked charmingly, appearing out of nowhere.

Elphaba just frowned upon him and shook her head. "I won't make a fool out of myself," she insisted and crossed her arms. Next to Galinda she would look like a helpless grasshopper caught in a wind current. But Aurex didn't give up so easily, she as she was to learn.

"Nobody will look at you. They are busy not spilling their drinks at their expensive garments. One dance and I won't bother you again. Cross my heart."

Elphaba took a look around. Everybody seemed to indeed mind their own business and she had a feeling that he would annoy her the rest of the evening. After some pondering, she finally agreed and cursed herself for it soon after they stood on the dance floor. In spite of Galinda, Elphaba had never learned how to dance. However, she had observed the others for some time and learned quickly. Her movements weren't as elegant and delicate as Galinda's, but at least she didn't entirely embarrass herself.

While dancing close to her roommate, Elphaba was the first one who noticed that something was wrong with her. She lost grip of her partner's shoulder and tumbled backwards a few steps, right into the green girl's arms. Though she wasn't very heavy, she didn't manage to keep her up and sank down on her knees. The room silenced as her tiara hit the floor with a metallic sound. The first thought that came into Elphaba's mind was a lack of air due to a tight-laced girdle, causing her to faint. But within a minute the blonde stirred and blinked, looking at the green girl as if she was a stranger.

With shaky legs she tried to get up again, never letting go of Elphaba's hand which gave her support.

"Where am I?" Galinda asked her and the green girl noticed the change in her voice. It was much softer and calmer. She wondered why her mother didn't rush forward to help her daughter. Nobody was moving; they just stared, looking like immovable dolls.

"Home," Elphaba simply said, gripping her upper arm to steady the shaking girl.

"I need to go to the Emerald City before it's too late. I need my book. Please, where is my book?" The upcoming tears blurred her vision and desperation filled her voice. Elphaba had no idea what she was talking about, but Galinda's face was full of horror, causing the green girl to shiver herself. Never in her life had she seen such an expression, especially not on her roommate's face.

Again the blonde sank down on the floor and Elphaba could hear mumbling and talking around them. When Galinda opened her eyes this time, she looked angry.

"Get your hands off of me, you stupid green bean," she hissed and turned to her mother, who came rushing to her daughter's side, giving the Munchkin girl a glare.

Elphaba took a step backwards, as they brought Galinda upstairs.

"What in Oz' name just happened?" Aurex asked puzzled and followed them with his eyes.

"I have not the slightest idea," Elphaba confessed and couldn't help but think about the expression in Galinda's eyes, which made her flesh creep.


	6. Chapter 5

**A completely new chapter on this lovely Thursday for my dear readers. **

**Thanks for the reviews and the many favs and followers! That's the stuff that makes me happy :) **

******For my fellow Gelphie-Shippers: Be patient, there will be loads of Gelphie later ;)**

**Enjoy and have fun!  
**

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**Chapter 5**

For the rest of the evening, Galinda stayed in her room with her mother and Ama Clutch caring for her. Nobody else was allowed to see her. Not that Elphaba was really worried about a fainting airhead, but her natural curiosity made her wonder what had gotten into her; during that short period of time, she seemed to be someone entirely different. What's more, all the other people in the room hadn't been able to move, just as if time had stopped. Elphaba found this very peculiar.

The next morning, Galinda seemed to be her old self again, much to the green girl's displeasure. Their paths crossed on their way to the breakfast table. The blonde was all alone, her three friends nowhere in sight.

"Are you feeling better today?" Elphaba asked politely. It felt appropriate.

"What do you care?"

"I don't." Elphaba shrugged, but couldn't help to look at her closely. "Say, what book did you talk about yesterday? And what business do you have in the Emerald City?"

Galinda huffed and gave her a glare. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Miss Elphaba. But I wish not to be reminded of the incident which occurred yesterday."

The blonde left Elphaba standing on top of the stairs while heading for the breakfast room downstairs.

"I don't like what puberty and her mother did to her." said a male voice behind her, approaching from another corridor which led to some more guest rooms.

Elphaba turned around and looked at Aurex, who just smiled at her sympathetically.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, continuing to walk downstairs with him.

"You know, our little bumble bee hasn't been always like that. She has been a sweet little thing running around in the grass barefoot, getting all dirty in the woods when we played hide and seek or tag," he chuckled. "Since we don't have any siblings, our parents let us play together quite often. Which means Galinda, our older cousin Amee and me. Amee has a twin sister, though, but they are completely different. She is married now, expecting a baby soon, while Amee…well…"

"What? What about her?" Elphaba didn't like when other people talked about something and then just stopped, only sharing half the story.

"Amee is different from other girls, from every other girl I know so far. Perhaps you have the pleasure to meet her some day. I think you will like her." Aurex smiled and politely held open a door for the green girl. "Anyway, when Galinda turned twelve, her mother started preparing her for the life of an upper class wife. Aunt Larena had always been very strict with her, because she wants her to marry an influential, wealthy man someday, who can actually care for her. It's all tradition, you see. The Upland family and the Arduennas have been the two most influential families in Gillikin. When Larena married Highmuster, they became one, making Galinda both an Upland and an Arduenna. Marriage politics. It's all about extending the family and the power."

Though Elphaba had to confess that she had thought about Galinda's family as a bunch of boring upper class people, she found herself quite interested in what Aurex told her. Just as she wanted to ask him about Glinda the Good, they reached the breakfast room and joined the happily chatting family. Again, nobody took the time to look at her and Elphaba wasn't sure whether she should be happy about not attracting attention or offended because they didn't even bother to notice her. The green girl sat down next to Aurex' mother Elsie, who seemed to be quite pleased to see her.

"Good morning, my dear. Did you sleep well? Oh I hope so. It was quite an exciting night, but our Glinny seems to be fine. Must have been the excitement," the blonde babbled while putting some food on Elphaba's plate. As she noticed the look on the girl's face, she nudged her ribs and giggled. "You are nothing but skin and bones. That's good for you."

Elphaba muttered something under her breath and obeyed, emptying the plate under Elsie's watchful eyes. She felt like she had swallowed a whole deer afterwards but didn't complain. Speaking of deer, the green girl noticed that neither Elsie nor Aurex, his fiancée or his father ate anything containing meat, though the table was full of everything one could wish for.

"Is the meat poisoned or are you vegetarians?" she quietly asked Aurex, suspiciously eyeing the plates.

"No, we are not. But we agreed on not eating anything that could have been an Animal," he explained, which caused the girl to look at him with wide eyes.

"Do you mean there are people eating Animals?"

"Let's not talk about this here, alright? But yes, there are."

Elphaba was glad she had already finished breakfast, because now she certainly wasn't hungry anymore. How could one eat something that was able to talk and think like a human? Was it possible that even she had eaten an Animal, without knowing? Thinking about Doctor Dillamond she excused herself and left the room.

Galinda had watched them from the other side of the table. She wasn't very happy about the green bean being so close to her cousin and his parents, who seemed to be quite fond of her. When Elphaba left, she too got up.

"I am sorry, I don't feel that well yet. I better go back upstairs." She smiled sweetly and followed her roommate.

"What do you think you are doing?" Galinda hissed and grabbed Elphaba's arm. Actually, it was the first time the blonde touched her on purpose.

"Whatever are you talking about?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow and turned around, facing her.

"Stay away from them. I only took you with me because my parents wanted to see you, you understand? Tomorrow we will be back at Shiz and everything will be back to normal." It sounded more like a desperate wish than whatever the blonde had intended it so sound like. She rubbed her temples with her fingers as if she was feeling dizzy and shot Elphaba a glare. "This conversation is over," she said and hurried back to her room, leaving the green one standing in the corridor, shaking her head.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here comes another flashback chapter. There will be more later on.  
**

**As I already mentioned, Gelphie won't be the only pairing in this fanfiction. I haven't found a nice name for the following couple yet. **

**Enjoy reading! I hope you like it :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_51 years earlier_

"Blow out your candles and make a wish," the blonde witch smiled gently and placed the cake in front of Glinda, who was sitting at her desk, pondering.

"I am far too old for things like this, Tattypoo." The redhead, nonetheless, blew out the few candles Locasta had put on the small cake, if only to make her happy. Secretly, she wished for a solution to feed the people of Oz who were starving to death while they could nothing do about it.

"Next year I will bake a cake that's so big that all the candles fit on it, I promise." Glinda felt the warm lips of her companion on her temple and closed her eyes for a few seconds. The good witch wasn't in the mood to celebrate her 143th birthday, but she didn't want to disappoint Locasta either. After all, she had been with her since the day they had become the guardians of Oz when they were just seventeen. Time had gone so quickly and they had to watch generation after generation passing by while they almost didn't age in all these years. Along with Abatha, the guardian of Munchkinland, and Gloma, who kept an eye on the Vinkus, they were the only immortal beings, chosen by Queen Lurlina herself to look after her precious land.

"Something terrible is going to happen, Tatty. I can feel it," Glinda mumbled and leaned her head against Locasta. "And it will be far worse than the drought."

The blonde just shook her head and pulled her up from her chair, leading her to the window. The sun was just about to set, making the ruby palace glitter and shimmer. "Just look at Quadling Country. It's the most beautiful realm of Oz. Your people are happy, even though they don't have as much food as they used to. As long as they have you, nothing can harm them." Locasta put her arms around the other witch and placed her chin on her shoulder.

"In a few years time, Princess Ozma will be old enough to replace her father. She will have children of her own and her daughter will become the next Ozma once Tippy passed. That's how it goes. That's how it has been the past century. And with you as her guardian, nothing will ever harm her."

Glinda bit her bottom lip and nodded finally, though not entirely convinced.

"You are the most powerful of us, Glinda," Locasta whispered into her ear and stepped back. "Now let's celebrate your birthday properly." The blonde sorceress chuckled and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before taking her to her chambers.

* * *

The next morning, Glinda woke from a noise coming from her office. She knew what it meant, so she carefully got out of bed in order not to wake Locasta. On her desk sat Agnes, Locasta's pet dragon, which was about the size of a common rat, startled by the movement of the big book next to her. Like every magic book, the Great Book of Records had a mind of its own and was only obeying Glinda. It had been a present from Queen Lurlina and recorded everything that happens in Oz right when it is happening. Since Glinda had to both care for Princess Ozma and Quadling Country, the book assisted her to keep track of the place she wasn't at right now. As the book was moving again, Agnes screeched, a tiny flame coming from her mouth.

"Don't set the palace on fire," Glinda warned her and opened the book to see what had caused this trouble. After all, Oz was a peaceful place, so there was not much going on. However, the last entry read:

_"Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs arrived in Oz by balloon"_

With a puzzled look, the redhead studied the page, but it gave no further information on the man with the peculiar name.

Locasta, who already had noticed the lack of warmth next to her, stood in the doorframe and looked at Glinda. "What's the matter?" She wanted to know, as she saw the worried look on her lover's face.

"We have a guest from outside of Oz."

"Outside? What do you mean by that? There's only desert around Oz." Locasta frowned and took a look at the book.

"We need to go to the Emerald City instantly." Glinda closed the book and quickly prepared her departure.

The blonde witch did not quite understand what was going on, but trusted Glinda and hence did the same. Agnes, woken by the atmosphere of departure, yawned and flapped her little wings. She sat down on Locasta's shoulder and continued her nap while Glinda used her bubble to take them to the capital city as quickly as possible.

* * *

As they arrived, a huge crowd of people had gathered around what has been a balloon once. It hung on a statue of Queen Lurlina, the ropes tangled and the basket swinging. On the balloon were the letters "OZ" and a man stood there with quite a confused look on his face.

"He must be a wizard!" the people whispered to each other.

"He came to save us!" another one cried.

Clouds came out of nowhere, darkening the sky. Raindrops hit the ground.

"Hail the great Oz!" the crowd cheered. "He saved our lives! Long live the wonderful Wizard!"

As they picked him up and carried him around like a warrior coming home from a fight, Glinda and Locasta could do little more than just watching them. They too were surprised about the sudden rain shower.

"Do you think he is a wizard?" Locasta asked her after watching the happy citizens of Oz celebrating their new hero.

"I don't know, but if he is, we need to thank him for what he did." The redhead finally stepped forward.

"Fellow Ozians, please let us thank this man for the rain." They turned around and happily brought him in front of their beloved sorceress, stepping back to watch.

"Excuse me, this must be a misunderstanding," the man said, not entirely pleased to be standing in the rain, not knowing what this fuss is all about. "I merely landed here on accident. You know, I am from Omaha and the upcoming wind made it impossible to go back down."

"Well then, let us be the first to welcome you in the Emerald City, capital of the beautiful Land of Oz. We want to thank you for bringing rain to make our corn grow again." The redhead smiled and nodded at him. "I am Glinda the Good, guardian of Princess Ozma and the Quadling Country and this is Locasta, the Good Witch of the North. Please, be our guest to stay in the Emerald Palace for a while until your balloon is repaired."

With that, Glinda and Locasta accompanied him to the palace, followed by a cheering crowd of people.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey folks! Sorry I'm a bit late, but here's the new chapter. I hope you didn't lose interest.  
**

**Anyway, Enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Two weeks passed by and things went on like they used to be. Galinda continued to ignore Elphaba like she had before and the green girl didn't mind at all. However, since the incident at her party, Elphaba caught herself observing her blonde roommate more closely. She found her snooping around near Madame Morrible's office quite often when the headmistress wasn't around.

"Looking for something?" the green girl asked, pressing her books against her almost flat chest, hoping to startle her petite fellow student.

"I can feel it's here. Something is calling for me," the blonde mumbled, trying to peek through the keyhole.

"Whatever you are looking for, if Grommetik sees you hanging around here, Morrible will give you a bad time," Elphaba smugly said and leaned against the wall next to her.

"Oh what's the matter with you? Don't you have…don't you…" Galinda seemed to be a bit disoriented, clinging to Elphaba's frock for support before sinking down to her knees. The green girl looked for help, but there was nobody else around.

"Hey, don't you dare faint in the middle of the corridor," she warned her and placed the books carefully on the floor before trying to help her back on her shaky feet.

As Galinda opened her eyes again, they heard a thud coming from the inside of Morrible's office. "Something is in there," the blonde smiled and wanted to reach for the handle, but Elphaba grabbed her hand and dragged her along after picking up her books.

"Yes. Lots of detention. Now move, I don't want to get caught because of you."

"Wait! No!" Galinda protested, but the green girl pressed her hand on the other girl's mouth. Peeking around the corner they saw Grommetik approaching the door, looking around for intruders.

"Are you out of your mind?" Elphaba asked, once they were back at their dorm room. "Morrible doesn't like having students nosing around in her office. What in Oz' name were you looking for anyway?" She crossed her arms, standing in front of the door in order to keep Galinda from going back. Why did she care anyway? It wasn't her business to keep the blonde airhead out of trouble.

"Please, don't stand in my way. I have something important to do and if you keep me from doing so, all of Oz will be in great danger," Galinda said calmly and took Elphaba's hand. "There is something in this room I desperately need. Will you help me to get it?"

Elphaba didn't like to confess it, but those sapphire eyes were really convincing. For a short moment she really thought about helping the blonde getting whatever Morrible kept in her office, but then she remembered who was standing in front of her.

"You are out of your mind, Galinda. Lie down and have a nap, maybe you have spent too much time in the sun today." Elphaba put her hand on her shoulders and gently pushed her to the pink bed.

With a sigh the blonde sat down and looked at her roommate. "I don't know what's gotten into me," she confessed and looked at her feet. "But it's none of your business." Galinda locked herself in the bathroom and stayed there for the next two hours, obviously taking a bath, leaving a dumbfounded Elphaba in the middle of the room.

"Great, now she is not only annoying, superficial, ignorant and airheaded, but also insane," Elphaba groaned and put off her glasses to rub the sore spot on the bridge of her nose.

* * *

In the last week before vacation, Elphaba, to her surprise, received a letter from Wittica the same time Galinda got one too. Both girls got invited to spend the following week with Elsie and Alexample in the Pertha Hills. Galinda was rather upset about the fact that her roommate got invited as well and thus bawled her eyes out on Pfannee's shoulder.

At first, Elphaba wasn't sure whether she should come in the first place, but there weren't many people in Oz who actually _asked_ for her company. Furthermore she wanted to learn more about the Animals in Oz, constantly thinking about whether this affected Dr. Dillamond as well. Perhaps she could even find out more about the connection between the Arduenna family and Glinda the Good. Galinda would have to put up with this, no matter how angry she'd glare at Elphaba during lunch break.

As the week passed by, the green girl caught herself feeling some sort of excitement about meeting them again. Though Alexample was Larena's brother, he and his family had stuck out at the party like they didn't belong there. She hadn't seen Aurex since then, though he was a student in Shiz. Even if he was Galinda's cousin, Ama Clutch didn't like the girls being near boys.

The blonde looked quite miserable and it got worse every day. Obviously she had caught a nasty cold because she insisted that it was warm enough by now to wear summer dresses. Ama Clutch had tried to convince her to stay at home and rest, but she didn't want Elphaba being alone with her family. More dead than alive she slumped down on the comfortable first class seat in the train and instantly fell asleep.

Now and then Elphaba glanced over at the snoring girl. The green girl had wrapped a blanket around Galinda some time ago because she had been shaking like a leaf. "Stupid girl," she muttered under her breath and tried to concentrate on her book again. It was about Ozian folklore, especially about the four great witches of Oz. Every book she had read about it ended when Glinda the Good disappeared out of a sudden, giving no hint where she might be or why she left in the first place. In some versions, the Wizard had desperately looked for her in the ruins of her palace the wicked Quadlings had destroyed to steal her precious rubies. Elphaba wasn't entirely convinced that this was the truth.

* * *

At the train station of Wittica, Elsie and Alexample were already waiting for the girls. The green girl had assisted Galinda to get into the carriage and the blonde was too exhausted to tell her to get her hands off. Elsie seemed to be really worried about her niece and instantly brought her to bed while Elphaba had a cup of tea with Alexample and Aurex, who had arrived in Wittica two days ago.

"We are very happy you accepted our invitation. Did you enjoy the journey?" the mayor asked as he seated himself on the sofa in the living room. The house was much smaller than the manor of Highmuster and Larena, but Elphaba felt much more comfortable here.

"Yes, I did," the green girl nodded with a soft smile and took a sip of the mineral tea the housekeeper – an Ape – had brought them.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on Galinda. She can be really stubborn sometimes but going on a journey like this while having a fever is simply stupid," Alex sighed and shook his head. "I suppose you are quite tired yourself, Miss Elphaba. Please allow me to show you your room."

While following him upstairs, Elphaba noticed many pictures on the walls. Apart from Elsie, Alexample and Aurex, there were paintings of other family members like Atmos, Aurex' fiancée, and Galinda. She recognized some people from Galinda's birthday party and others she had never seen before. However, she was way too tired to ask any questions today, so she thanked Alex for everything and retired to her room. It was small and cozy, so the exhausted girl didn't have any problems falling asleep this time.


	9. Chapter 8

**Have lots of fun reading and enjoy! :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

After having a quite pleasant night, Elphaba enjoyed herself at breakfast. Galinda was nowhere in sight, meaning that she was still too sick to get out of bed. Elphaba pondered, whether it was wicked to be happy about her absence, but remembered all the times the blonde had tortured her with her presence.

Alexample didn't attend breakfast because he had to perform his mayor duties, while Elsie checked on Galinda every couple of minutes, bringing her tea and several blankets. Meanwhile, Atmos didn't seem to mind her fiancé's interest in the green girl at all. In fact, they acted as if they'd been married for several years already, knowing exactly what the other one wanted without using words.

"Atmos moved in with my parents right after our engagement. Her mother was glad she didn't have to support her anymore. You know, she has five brothers and three sisters. Oh, thank you, love," Aurex said as the brunette poured him another cup of cinnamon tea.

"Speaking of family," Elphaba began and cleared her throat. She didn't want to sound too interested in the blonde and her family. "There is this statue in Galinda's backyard and I wondered why."

Aurex chuckled lightly and shook his blonde hair. "You should've asked Amee about it. It's her favorite story," he told her and took a sip of his tea.

"You may know the legend of Glinda the Good, who disappeared all of a sudden when Oz needed her the most. Our grandmother used to tell us the same old story again and again, claiming that she's Glinda's daughter. You know, she grew up in an orphanage, knowing nothing about her parents. She had been a beautiful woman and married our grandfather at the age of 17, only two weeks after they had met at a ball in the Emerald Palace. She was a decent sorceress, just like her two daughters, Larena and Nebelle, the mother of Amee and Maribelle. However, Galinda is the first one who actually studies sorcery. Maribelle didn't make it to Crage Hall and Amee studied the history of Oz instead. Our grandmother died at the age of 57 during a peasant rebellion in Munchkinland." At the end of his story, Atmos patted his shoulder sympathetically and started to take the empty dishes to the kitchen.

"Excuse me, but your grandmother thought she was related to someone who never existed? That's kind of…" Pathetic? Stupid? Ridiculous? She desperately looked for a nicer adjective. "…odd."

Elphaba was a bit disappointed. She had hoped for something more interesting than the made-up story of a girl without parents claiming to be a fairytale character's daughter to gain attention. No doubt she was Galinda's grandmother.

* * *

Though Elphaba had no intention leaving this house anytime soon, she found herself forced outside by Elsie, who took the "kids", as she called them, to the city in order to get some medicine for Galinda. Ama Clutch had arrived early in the morning after receiving a letter from Alexample, and cared for her while the others were out and about.

Instead of taking a carriage, they followed the street to the city by foot. Elphaba didn't mind, but she could clearly hear Galinda's annoying voice inside of her head, complaining about having to walk ten minutes instead of letting poor horses do the legwork. The sun was shining brightly at Wittica, still it was rather cold. The streets were full of people and Animals, who worked at the market place and in the shops, as if it was perfectly normal. The only thing spoiling the scene was the Gale Force soldiers who were lurking at every corner.

"They're here to keep an eye on the Animals," Elsie told her and forced a smile as they passed some soldiers. "In case some of them go rogue. Alex worked so hard for them to have a normal life. If you ask me, we should put them in cages, just like they do with the Animals," the blonde hissed and fixed her brown eyes on the men with the green uniforms.

Elphaba felt a bit ashamed for knowing so little about the suffering of the Animals, though she was so fond of Dr. Dillamond and his lectures. After all, she had spent her childhood in Quadling Country, which was a dirty, muddy wasteland without any newspapers or even enough clean water for all its unfortunate people. She had met Animals before, but they hadn't been educated like her professors at Shiz or the working Animals in Wittica. In fact, Wittica was one of the last cities Animals were allowed to go to school and learn how to read or do their maths.

"Wittica is a thorn in the Wizard's side. He has already sent his soldiers here and it will soon follow the rest of Gillikin." Aurex bought some roses from a Porcupine and handed them over to Atmos, who looked a bit sad. "Don't worry, love. No Wizard is immortal and he must be about 70 already," the boy said calmly and kissed her cheek.

"Perhaps this maniac is already looking for an heir," Atmos mumbled bitterly and pressed the flowers close to her chest.

Elphaba looked around the market place and tried to imagine it without all the soldiers harassing the Animals trying to live a peaceful life. She paid close attention to a little Fox carrying some old books in a basket. One of the soldiers had taken one of them, tossing it to a colleague. "Give it back!" the Fox cried and tried to grab it.

"I am pretty sure that this is on the Wizard's forbidden list," the soldier smirked and started to rip out pages.

Before Aurex and Atmos could hold her back, Elphaba stalked over to them, looking very angry and furious. "What do you think you are doing? Give it back immediately, it's not yours," she said with a frown and tried herself to pry it out of his hands.

"Look, she's already green with rage," they laughed at first, but their faces looked more serious now. "Mind your own business, freak."

Elsie, who just left an apothecary's shop with Galinda's medicine, saw the green girl loudly quarreling with the soldiers, who were close to arresting her. "Excuse me, gentlemen, do we have a problem?" she asked them and pushed Elphaba behind herself.

"No, ma'am. Just this little brat that thinks she's a rebel, Madame Mayor," the soldier with the book told her.

"_Brat_? Oh, I'm very sure you didn't want to offend Miss _Thropp_, did you?"

They looked at Elphaba once more and grew very pale all of a sudden. After having conquered Gillikin, which had been quite submissive from the start, Munchkinland was the only part of Oz the Wizard did not control. Thus, the Eminence of Munchkinland, Peerless Thropp, was one of the very few people he didn't want to upset. Taking his great-granddaughter to Southstairs just for taking a stand for a little Fox surely would upset him.

"We had no idea, Your Highness. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Give back the book and let him be," the green girl demanded, trying to sound superior. There were only few things she disliked more than being treated differently because of her descent.

The soldiers obeyed, handing the book back to its owner, and disappeared.

"Thank you so much, Your Eminence," the Fox said, picking up the ripped out sheets of the book.

"Elphaba. My name is Elphaba," the green girl smiled softly and helped him. "What's your name?"

"I'm called Renard, but you can call me Dox. Some refer to me as the King of Foxes," he chuckled lightheartedly. "You might rather call me the mayor of Foxville, which isn't a real village but merely a safe haven for us. I will make sure each and every Fox in the Land of Oz knows about your good heart, so you can ask for help anytime you need it." He took his basket and waved at them for a last time until heading home, back to his family.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to ComingAndGoingByBubble and Elphaba C. Snow Thropp for the reviews, I really appreciate them.  
**

******Well, here's the promised Gelphie chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it.**  


* * *

**Chapter 9**

After not hearing anything from Galinda for the next two days, a strange feeling arose in Elphaba. She couldn't really tell what it was, but she felt obligated to check on her, to see whether she was still alive. She was still her roommate and how would she explain Madam Morrible why she had come back alone?

With a soft knock, the green girl pushed the heavy wooden door open and stood there for a moment, not sure what to think. Galinda looked rather pale, her golden curls tied up to a bun, her lips and cheeks looked almost colorless. Only her sapphire eyes sparkled behind a pair of glasses as she looked up from her book. Wait, what? Elphaba frowned as she approached her bed and caught a glimpse of all those books lying on the bed. Among them titles like _"A People's History of Oz: Ozma Initiata to Present",_ _"The Art of Magic"_ and _"The Political Genius of Peerless Thropp"._

"Miss Elphaba, what a nice surprise. I haven't seen your face for days. Afraid of getting bitten by the bug?" Galinda asked, her voice weak. Elphaba was about to make a witty remark of her going insane because of the fever, as the blonde did something unexpected. She smiled at her. It wasn't forced or fake. Galinda Arduenna Upland of the upper Uplands genuinely smiled at Elphaba and didn't seem to be upset because of her presence.

"I was just about to catch up with all those things I missed. Did you know that the Emerald City was called Nubbly Meadows back then? Ozma Regent Pastorius renamed the city and declared it the capital of Oz. I wonder what it had looked like before." The blonde marked the page and closed the book, taking off her glasses. "Have a seat." She gestured to the chair Elsie had pushed next to the bed to look after her.

"Yes, I know that. Professor Mikko told us," Elphaba said a bit skeptical and sat down. "I haven't seen you wearing those in class."

"I just need them to read. And since I usually don't read, I don't need them," Galinda explained and Elphaba had to confess that this made sense. "And I think I look incredibly stupid with them."

"Actually, you look quite smart," the green girl said matter-of-factly. "Maybe there is hope for you, after all."

"Charming as always, aren't we? I hope you are enjoying yourself, while I'm in agony." Galinda tried to keep her grumpy face, but had to chuckle in the end. "I didn't plan it that way. Perhaps that's the revenge for wishing you'd have stayed back in Shiz. I have never been good at sharing."

"I'm used to that, having a sister like Nessa," Elphaba mumbled and took one of the books from the bed.

Galinda raised her eyebrows and pouted sympathetically. "Worse enough you had to live in that wasteland that had once been Quadling Country."

"What do you mean? As far as I know, it had always been that way."

The blonde kept quiet for a moment and seemed to brood over what she had just said. "But what about the Ruby Palace? Why would somebody build a palace there?"

"The Ruby Palace is a myth, Galinda. They've never found anything like that, just some ruins that could've been anything. There was not a single ruby anywhere." The green girl rose from her seat and put her hand on the blonde's forehead. Galinda did not complain.

"But where else did Glinda the Good go? Granny never told us why she had to go. I always thought they were supposed to keep Oz safe," she said and looked up to Elphaba, who was still checking her temperature. "Your great-grandfather must have known them. Has he never told you anything?"

"He barely talks to me at all. You should rest a little more and stop believing children's stories." Elphaba took the books and placed them on the night stand next to her bed. "Good night, little airhead," she chuckled and left the room. This had gone far better than expected.

All too soon they had to say their goodbyes to Elsie and Alexample to go back to Shiz. Elphaba would've loved to stay a few more days to listen to Elsie's conspiracy theories, which sounded alarmingly accurate. Galinda was feeling better and had left bed the day before, just in time for their long way back.

* * *

During the next few weeks, Elphaba witnessed major changes in the blonde's behavior. She had started studying harder and even seemed to enjoy it. Gladly she absorbed every piece of information she could get, especially about the history of the past 50 years and magic. Mrs. Greyling gave her a proud smile whenever she passed Galinda in the hallways. Though the blonde still didn't talk to Elphaba in public, particularly when her friends were around, she accepted her help when they studied in their dorm room. The green girl had stopped wondering what had happened to her roommate and simply accepted it. After all, it wasn't that bad, was it?

One afternoon, Galinda decided to prepare for her finals in sorcery. It had been raining outside all day and she wasn't in the mood to gossip with her friends. Elphaba had just finished a paper for Doctor Dillamond and was now leaning back to watch the little domestic spells Mrs. Greyling had taught her students.

"Alright, part one is levitation," the blonde announced and placed one of Elphaba's heavy books in front of her.

"It's not going to explode, is it? I really need that one," the green girl said half amused, half worried.

"Shh, I need to concentrate." Galinda focused on the book and simply stared at it. No fancy words or wand needed. Indeed it began to fly through the air, landing on the shelf again. Though it was the easiest thing they had learned, Galinda beamed with pride.

"Great, you can clean our room from now on," Elphaba chuckled, slightly impressed.

Galinda ignored her comment. "Change something existing," she read from a list with topics for the finals they had gotten from Mrs. Greyling.

At first, the blonde looked at Elphaba as if thinking about turning her into a flower pot, but then she took one of her pink cushions, threw it in the air and mumbled some weird words. With a poof, the cushion turned into a pigeon, flying around in their dorm room. It wasn't a real bird, though. It was as pink as the fabric had been and it looked more like a living plush animal.

Nonetheless, Elphaba was amazed. However, before she could tell Galinda, the blonde went on with her list.

"Create something new." Her melodic chanting sounded a lot like Qua'ati, the language of the Quadlings. Dozens of glowing blue butterflies appeared out of nowhere, dancing in the air for a while. As Elphaba touched one of them, it disappeared just like smoke.

"That was great, Galinda," the green girl said genuinely and smiled at the blonde.

"Look what I learned recently during one of those boring afternoons I had to do homework." She took an empty sheet of paper from Elphaba's desk, as well as a quill. Both the paper and the quill started to hover in front of the girl. "Dear Madame Morrible, stop wearing such awful dresses. They make you look like a big old carp. Yours truly, Galinda Upland." she dictated and the quill wrote it down by itself.

"Impressive. But make sure not to send this charming letter," the green girl chuckled lightly.

Galinda put down the paper and burned it in the fireplace. "Thank you." she said quietly and curled up in her bed again. "You know, sometimes I feel as if I don't belong here. Not because I feel too stupid, but it's like something's waiting for me out there. As if there's something important I have to do, but I don't know where or when. It's frustrating." She looked at the ceiling and sighed. "It feels like a promise I made but can't remember to whom and what it was about."

Hazel eyes fixed shortly on the petite girl on the opposite side of the room. Elphaba didn't know what to say or how to comfort her. "You will know, when the time is right, I guess."


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks a lot to RavenCurls, Ailish and ComingAndGoingByBubble. You guys made me literally leap for joy :D  
**

**Chapter 10 and 11 will again illuminate the past bit by bit, giving you more pieces of the puzzle. If you figured out something already, don't tell ;)  
**

**Have a nice weekend and enjoy reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_51 years ago_

As the days passed by, the rain continued for almost a whole week. The news of corn growing all around Oz again raised their spirits, so Pastorius invited the four great Sorceresses, Peerless and other important people to celebrate with him - with Oscar Zoroaster Diggs as their guest of honor, of course. Glinda decided to let the people of Oz worship him for the time being, but always kept a close eye on him.

"My dear friends, let us all be joyful tonight! A great disaster had been successfully averted and we are glad to welcome the Wizard to Oz!" Pastorius announced, already slightly tipsy. Oscar didn't seem to mind all the fuss about him and actually liked his new nickname the citizens of this land had given him. Never had he been this acknowledged before.

However, Glinda wasn't the only one who felt a bit uneasy. At the right moment, the four witches excused themselves and met in the library. Glinda and Locasta sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace, while the other two remained standing.

Gloma crossed her arms and gave a snort. "Nobody is allowed to use magic, except for us," the dark skinned woman said and ran her fingers through her thick, pitch black hair. Blue ornaments decorated her face and the rest of her body, parts of it covered by the plain yellow dress she wore.

"He could use it for evil," a meek voice mumbled approvingly and fumbled around with a dusty old book. Abatha was the shortest woman among them, but not as short as a Munchkin. The flowers Locasta had put in her brown hair were blue, just like her eyes and her gown.

"I know that, believe me. But after all, he saved us."

"He is a threat!"

"We don't know him!"

"We need to give him a chance."

"Stop it!" Glinda finally said with a firm voice and rose from her seat. The room fell quiet and the three other witches looked at the redhead.

"I want you to go back to your countries tomorrow. I will stay in the Emerald City and watch Princess Ozma. We won't judge anybody as long as we don't have proof." None of them dared to argue with Glinda, so they simply nodded and rejoined the festivities. She didn't tell them about her suspicion that the Wizard wasn't a wizard in the first place yet. Because of that she wasn't concerned that he would use his nonexistent magic powers for evil.

* * *

As the evening proceeded, every guest, one by one, retired to their rooms. The Wizard trotted along the hallways, rather drunk by now, and took a closer look at the palace. The marble floor, the walls, the windows – almost everything was green. Outside the palace was an inner courtyard full of the most beautiful flowers anybody had ever seen. It had been a gift from Locasta, whose specialty was to grow plants of all sorts by magic. The little Wizard had been especially stunned as he witnessed Glinda performing the greatest spells a man had ever seen, making him truly believing in magic. There was hardly anything the sorceress couldn't do. He had seen her letting things fly through the air or appear out of nowhere. She could change the color of dresses and curtains, make every inanimate object obey her orders and could go anywhere by bubble. Since the Wizard wasn't a wizard to begin with, he was a little scared of this display of magic. What if they wanted to see him doing the same? To be honest, he had no intention to leave Oz anytime soon and even fancied the thought of ruling it. The citizens of Oz worshipped him like a king anyway.

But those were only the thoughts of a foolish young man who had had too much wine. How could he get past the four witches, who surely wouldn't be very happy about a regime change?

With a quiet chuckle he opened the door to his chambers and decided to have another drink before going to bed. While he poured himself another glass of wine, he heard the door shutting close behind him. Startled he turned around, only to meet a pair of piercing green eyes staring at him.

The girl in front of him looked like she was barely eighteen, her strawberry blonde hair cascading down her back. Her ruby red lips curled to a wicked smile as she approached the Wizard, who was still gaping at her and almost let the glass slip out of his hands. Something about her cold dark eyes made him shiver inside.

"A nice evening, isn't it?" she said and raised her hand. The beverage changed hands quickly, causing the Wizard to tumble backwards.

"Oh, I am sorry if I scared you…Oscar, was it? I just came here to submit a proposal." With another gesticulation he flew through the air and landed on his bed while the girl remained standing, the glass in her hand.

"You did a good job winning the Ozians' foolish little hearts. Such a shame we don't have a ruler like you, instead of this filthy little stable worker Pastorius. I only wish there would be someone to take his place," the girl said histrionically and grinned again. "Oh wait, there is someone."

Oscar felt a bit dizzy and had no idea what her point was. "What do you mean?" he asked and sat up again, trying to focus on her.

"I will help you to ascend the throne." She gulped down the rest of the wine while rolling her eyes at him.

"Why would you?"

"Let's say I have a crow to pluck with some people, including our dear Ozma Regent," she simply said and tossed the empty glass in a corner of the room. "So? What do you say?"

"What about Glinda and the other witches?" he asked, remembering about their immortality. How should they get rid of them?

"I will take care of the flower princess, the bookworm, the farm girl and the bushy," she cackled maliciously and turned around to the door, in order to leave.

"Wait!" the Wizard exclaimed and got up to his feet. "What's your name?"

With a wicked smile she looked at him once more. "You can call me Mombi," she answered and left.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: A big thank you to all the people who support this story and especially to vertejaune, who wrote an ozsome review and made me very happy :D  
**

**Have a great weekend and enjoy reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

It happened so fast, Glinda didn't have time to express how devastated she was. Within the past week, both Gloma and Abatha had disappeared out of the blue. No matter how much she studied her books, there was no hint where they had gone. So she travelled to Munchkinland in the hope that she would find out more about it, accompanied by Locasta and Princess Ozma, on whom she kept her eyes glued since the Wizard had arrived.

His Eminence, Peerless Thropp, personally bid them welcome at his residence in Colwen Grounds, the capital of Munchkinland. Apart from Glinda's Ruby Palace and the Emerald Palace, it was one of the most magnificent pieces of architecture in all of Oz. Glinda had always admired the stucco, while Locasta only had eyes for the beautiful gardens. The inside of the mansion was as splendid at its outside, especially the throne room. Peerless lead them to the sitting room and told them everything he knew about Abatha's disappearance, while little Ozma played with his granddaughter Sophelia, who was about her age.

"Abatha has been here all the time, but didn't show up for breakfast the following day. The guards have been looking for her all day long, but she was nowhere in sight. We couldn't even find her with the help of the Magic Picture." the Eminence said calmly, but Glinda could clearly see the desperation in his eyes.

It was highly unusual for Abatha to be absent. And it was even more unusual that not even the Magic Picture could find her. This picture, you have to know, usually appeared to be of a pleasant countryside, but when anyone wished for the picture to show a particular person or place, the scene would display what is wished for. It had been another present from Queen Lurlina.

"Would you mind if I take a look at her room?" Glinda asked and pressed her book tight against her chest. An uneasy feeling arose inside of her, but she tried not to let show.

"Of course not," Peerless said, shaking his head. He led them straight to the sorceress' chambers and left them alone, having an eye on Ozma and Sophelia in the meantime.

* * *

Apart from a few books on magic, there was not a sign that it was in fact a witch who lived here. Abatha evidently wasn't fond of fancy decorations and nick-nacks. Instead there were a lot of paintings of Munchkinland's beautiful landscapes on her walls. No matter how hard they looked, there was not a single clue about her whereabouts. Peerless had been right about the Magic Picture as well. As Glinda asked it where Abatha was, it went blank. For the time being, Glinda left it where it was and hurried back to the sitting room, followed by Locasta, who didn't say a word. There was no need to talk, after all.

"Are you sure that you didn't notice anything strange?" the redhead asked the ruler of Munchkinland once again before heading back to the Emerald City.

"Now that you mention it, there was something peculiar," Peerless said, scratching his chin. "A girl came here to see Abatha. She said she was an old friend of hers and wanted to talk to her. I neither saw that girl nor Abatha again after this."

"A girl?" asked Locasta puzzled. How could a simple girl make a powerful sorceress disappear? "What did she look like?"

"I can't remember exactly, but she wore very colorful robes. Her hair was neither really red nor blonde and her eyes looked like those of a cat. I think she wore a collar with a weirdly shaped pendant on it," the Eminent told them, trying hard to remember any further details.

"Did it look like an eye-shaped amethyst?" the blonde sorceress wanted to know, highly alarmed.

"I believe so. Do you know her?"

"Mombi! We need to go back to the Emerald City immediately," Glinda cried and promised Peerless to explain everything if he cared for Ozma in the meantime.

* * *

Meanwhile, said wicked witch made herself comfortable on Pastorius' throne, eating an apple. It hadn't taken much effort to conquer the palace once Glinda and Locasta were busy investigating the disappearance of their two companions. Pastorius had been locked away safely and the Royal Army was wax in her hands. Nobody dared to revolt against her once they saw what she had done to Gloma and Abatha.

The petrified sorceresses stood on top of a tower, so everybody could see their terrified expressions. The Wizard didn't necessarily agree with this, but he told himself that they weren't dead but merely sleeping. Mombi knew that the remaining witches would turn up eventually, so she prepared for the final battle. To their great misfortune, she knew exactly that the Four Good Witches of Oz were one and hence connected. The more you kill, the weaker will the others get. She would enjoy watching Glinda's stupid little face once she realized there was nothing she could do.

With anticipation, she stood on the balcony, the Wizard next to her. "Don't you think, the message we sent was clear enough?" he asked meekly, looking at the terrified people gathering below.

Mombi cackled wickedly, shaking her head. "It's not about sending a message, it's about destroying them. Oh look, there's the Queen of Bubbles and Princess Flowerpot."

The crowd turned around as they saw Glinda's bubble approaching. Hoping that she would put a stop to Mombi's evil deeds, they took some steps back. The sky grew dark and claps of thunder filled the air. Rain poured down just like the day the Wizard had arrived in Oz.

"Enough!" Glinda shouted and made the rain stop. She should've known that there was no Wizard bringing rain. It had been dark magic, all along. "Manipulating the weather to take over Oz?"

"Oz? Oh mother, you don't know me at all, do you?" Mombi grinned, enjoying the gasps from the citizens of Oz. Now everybody knew. Perfect.

"It's enough, I said! We can talk about this," the redhead pleaded, noticing Gloma and Abatha. "Let them go!"

"As you wish." Mombi waved her arms like a mad conductor. The stone statues rose in the air and fell towards the ground. Desperately, Glinda and Locasta did their best to keep them from falling, but failed. The statues shattered mercilessly, thousands of pieces scattered on the floor. The good witches sank down on their knees, overwhelmed by a sudden pain, as if their hearts had also shattered.

"I don't know about you, but I feel great now. Isn't it awesome to smash something when you're angry? Frees your soul." The wicked witch stopped laughing and jumped down from the balcony without a single injury. "Now, only two weakened sorceresses left. Which one's next? _Momsie_? No, you will watch your little _Tattypoo_ dying first," she spat, the affectionate pet name sounding like pure poison out of her mouth. "You will pay for what you did to me. Your pain will be even to mine." The girl pulled a vial out of her pocket, filled with some green liquid. "Do you know what that is? No? Well, it doesn't surprise me at all. You don't know anything about wicked workings, my dear ones. If you did, you'd know that this will petrify you, just like your dear friends. However, this one it slightly different, just for you. First it will deprive you of your magic powers and cause immense pain in the process. Then you'll turn to stone. Doesn't that sound like great fun? I would like to continue our little chat, but I'm in a bit of a hurry."

As Mombi raised her hand to throw it at the blonde who had closed her eyes, Glinda cried out, trying to get back on her feet in time to keep her from pouring the potion onto someone. However, she couldn't prevent it. Locasta tried to push Glinda away as she stood in front of her, but it was too late. Though the liquid hit the wrong witch, Mombi still seemed to be satisfied. But before she could turn on Locasta, Glinda materialized her bubble and brought her love out of the danger zone, knowing that Mombi had no way to follow them quickly enough. They had to rest in order to regain their powers. The wicked witch glared after them, cursing. "I will get you, my pretty. And your little flower princess, too," she mumbled and returned inside the palace.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: A very merry Lurlinemas to all my dear readers!  
**

**I wish you happy holidays and a good time with your family and friends :D  
**

**Enjoy reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"_Hello?" she calls out, but nobody answers. It is pitch dark and freezing cold. Only wearing her nightgown she follows the infinite road, leading to nowhere in particular. She hears the sound of footsteps in the distant. Many feet, marching in step. Her heart pounds against her chest as she starts running, her bare feet hitting the cold ground. She doesn't know where she is going, but she knows she has to leave immediately as the footsteps come closer. Then suddenly there is no ground anymore. She falls. There is no time to scream before she hits the floor. She is blinded by a radiant blue light, coming from glittering stones which cover the walls. As she gets back on her feet, she sees a woman staring at her through glass. _

"_It's time," she hears from above. "Keep your promise." A single tear runs down the woman's cheek, before the glass shatters, along with her. _

"_No! Wait! What promise? Don't go! I need to know! Please!"_

"Galinda, wake up, it's just a dream," a soft voice mumbled, causing the blonde to open her eyes.

The first thing she saw was her roommate's green face and her hazel eyes, looking at her worriedly. She had lit a candle on the nightstand and was still wearing her hideous nightdress. Galinda wrapped her shaking arms around the green girl and started sobbing. She didn't know why, but she felt heartbroken and lonely, desperately needing someone to hold her tight. Elphaba patiently waited until she calmed down again, soothingly rubbing her back. Whatever this nightmare had been about, it succeeded in upsetting the blonde. It took Elphaba almost half an hour until Galinda stopped trembling.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Elphaba asked, tucking a strand of hair beneath the blonde's ear. It felt awkward. She wasn't good at soothing upset girls.

"No, I need to sort that out myself," she answered shakily. Her face was extraordinary pale again, Elphaba noticed.

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me." With a soft smile the green girl wrapped another blanket around her roommate and resisted the urge to affectionately kiss her forehead. Elphaba had no idea where that feeling came from, but ever since the blonde's behavior had started to change (for the better), she enjoyed spending time with her way too much. The once shallow, superficial puppet had transformed into a caring and rather smart girl who frequently amazed Elphaba with quick wit and almost angelic kindness, which was growing from day to day. Even the other girls seemed to notice that something was wrong with the former queen of gossip. With increased regularity they heard things like "Don't be so mean" or "It's not her fault that her family doesn't have enough money for fancy clothes" out of her mouth. She helped people picking up books when Pfannee or Shenshen pushed them aside and frowned upon every sarcastic comment they made during lectures. The blonde had also started wearing her glasses when she needed them instead of squinting at the tiny letters in her books.

Elphaba was very sure that Galinda had indeed changed for good, paving the way for a lifelong friendship between the two girls who, despite of their few differences, had so much in common.

* * *

Within the next few days, the time they spent with each other increased and Galinda even had lunch with her roommate where everybody could see them. Once or twice Elphaba thought she had seen Milla smiling at them, but Shenshen and Pfannee crinkled their noses at their "fallen" friend. Shenshen had always been jealous of the blonde and now it was her time to shine. It seemed to be easy enough to crush the stupid little thing, now that everybody questioned her popularity because of Elphaba. They had played minor tricks on them earlier, but now it seemed to be the time to bring the big guns in.

After her sorcery lessons, Galinda waited for Elphaba in the entrance hall, so they could go to the library together, like they always did on Thursdays. However, this time Shenshen and Pfannee approached their former friend, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Nice glasses we have, mole girl," Pfannee snickered, taking them off of Galinda's nose.

"Didn't know you could read," Shenshen said ferociously, snapping the book the blonde had pressed against her bosom out of her hands.

"Please, give that back." Galinda's voice was calm as she reached for the book. "It was a present."

"From the green bean? Well, I guess you can have it back…bit by bit." Shenshen started tearing out pages and throwing them on the floor, laughing hysterically. Meanwhile Pfannee had dropped her glasses, successful in breaking them.

It was just this moment when Elphaba turned the corner, watching the scene for a few clock ticks. Galinda just stood there, watching them tearing apart her stuff, while the two girls clearly enjoyed themselves. Though she had witnessed things like that before, seeing her friend helpless and sad made her furious. The green girl marched towards the group, angrily yelling at them. Her darkened eyes fixed on Shenshen who still held what was left of the book she had given to Galinda.

What had happened next, nobody could clearly explain.

Shenshen's clothes started tearing themselves apart. Horrified, she dropped the book and ran as fast as her feet could take her. Pfannee wanted to follow her, but was pinned against the wall before she could do so. Elphaba muttered something under her breath and cursed the girl, but before she could approach her, the green girl found herself hovering a few feet above the ground, something solid and yet transparent around her. Confused she looked around and met Galinda's gaze. Pfannee took the chance and disappeared quickly.

"What are you doing?" Elphaba asked the blonde, trying get out of the bubble which held her captive.

"Keeping you from doing something stupid." Galinda picked up the pieces of her glasses, which put themselves back together without anyone's assistance. In no time, it was as good as new and wearable again. The same thing happened with the book Galinda handled as if it was the most precious treasure in all of Oz. They hardly noticed the infamous Tik Tok watching them, instantly wheeling off to report the incident to his mistress.

"Why did you let them do that to you?" the green girl wanted to know after the blonde released her from the bubble. She wasn't angry with her for keeping her from crushing Pfannee the way she did with the glasses, but she did not understand why a talented sorceress like Galinda would let them bully her without defending herself.

At that, the blonde simply chuckled, leaving Elphaba completely dumbfounded. What was so funny about that?

"Fighting violence with violence will cause more violence, my love. No irreversible harm was done, there is no reason to get upset," she explained with a smile so genuine and sincere, that it was in fact her inhuman kindness and nearly infinite limit of tolerance that upset the green girl the most. But before she could put into words how she felt about this, the shrill voice of Madame Morrible made them wince.

"Miss Galinda! Miss Elphaba! I want to see you in my office immediately," she demanded with a firm voice and furrowed her brow before turning around again, marching ahead. Galinda pressed her book against her chest and sighed, squeezing Elphaba's hand sympathetically. They would go through this together, whatever destiny had in mind for them.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: A really, really big "thank you" to Beth. Your feedback always inspires me to no end!**

**And of course thanks to Ailish87 and James Birdsong as well :D  
**

**So here's a brand new chapter, a little earlier than usual.  
**

**Enjoy reading!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

"First of all," the fishlike woman said while handing them two cups of tea while she remained standing next to the fireplace, "I must tell you that this behavior is scandalous. I don't want to hear about either of you attacking your fellow students ever again. I'm afraid I will have to inform your parents of this incident."

Elphaba cursed under her breath, knowing that Morrible wouldn't inform Frex, since he was in Quadling Country again for a year. This letter would get straight to her great-grandfather in Colwen Grounds, who obviously wanted to get at least 150 years old. Of course Peerless wouldn't come here himself to take his foolish great-granddaughter to task. He would send somebody to do that for him.

Galinda, on the other hand, wasn't sure how her parents would react. She hadn't done anything wrong, but it would be useless to argue with Madame Morrible. Nonetheless she was sure they would get suspended for at least a week.

"Be that as it may, credit where credit is due." Morrible looked intently at the two girls for a long time. Suddenly her expression changed from disappointed to joyful. "You may be the most talented sorceresses attending Crage Hall for the past 50 years. Miss Greyling is very proud of you, Miss Galinda. She even mentioned that you are ahead of your class. In my opinion, you are even ahead of Miss Greyling herself. There is nothing she can teach you anymore, I'm afraid." The headmistress shook her head pitifully and sent Grommetik out so he could keep an eye on misbehaving students.

"I just received a letter from the Wizard himself, seeking a talented young sorceress to assist him in the Emerald City. Thus, I would like to send the two of you to the capital, so he may pick one of you. I won't take 'no' for an answer," she said, trying to sound playfully. But they both knew that the consequences would be unpleasant if they'd turn down the offer. In fact, they couldn't even speak a single word. They just looked at each other mutely, avoiding to meet Morrible's gaze.

As the headmistress went on telling them about the marvelous life they would live being the Wizard's advisor, Galinda's eyes fixed on what she had been looking for a while ago in Morrible's office. It was nothing but an old book, sitting on a shelf among dozens of other books. There was nothing special about it and it looked as if nobody had touched it for a very long time. The longer Galinda stared at it, the more she longed to open it. She could have sworn that it called out for her.

"Miss Galinda?" Startled, the blonde looked at the source of the noise. Madame Morrible was looking at the book as well as it fell on the ground all of a sudden. Nobody talked for a minute, until Morrible went over to pick it up. Galinda wanted to get up and snap it out of her hands, but remained sitting on the sofa.

"How odd," was all the carp-like woman said. As she tried to put it back on the shelf, it didn't fit in anymore. It almost looked as if the book refused to be stuffed back into the gap where it had come from. Finally, Galinda managed to rise from her seat.

"Can I see that, please?" The blonde's heart pounded as she took some steps closer towards Morrible and the book. Something tried to pull her back like a magnet, but she refused to give in.

Morrible looked at her as if she would kick them out any second, but finally handed her the book without a word.

A strange sensation filled the girl's body as she held it in her hands. The book felt warm like a living thing and shivered of anticipation. Willingly it opened for her, revealing all its secrets. At first it was hard to decipher because the words kept changing and new lines appeared out of nowhere. Quickly the blonde adapted to the pace of the book and figured out how to read it. What lay ahead of her was nothing less than a record of the things that happened throughout Oz right at this very moment.

Elphaba and Morrible stood close behind the blonde, looking at the book. However, neither of them was able to read it, so the headmistress grew impatient. She seemed to know very well what this book was and felt stupid for giving it to the blonde. So she took it back and sent them out, telling them she would mail a letter to the Wizard immediately, giving him advance notice of their visit in the Emerald City.

* * *

"What did you see?" Elphaba asked, once they were back in their dorm room. Galinda had seemed so consumed by the content, she must've seen something.

"You may call me crazy, but I just held the Great Book of Records in my very own hands," Galinda told her excitedly, pacing the floor.

"Glinda's book? You're kidding, right?" The green girl's brows furrowed as she took off her glasses to clean them.

"I need to get it back."

"Steal it out of Morrible's office? Are you insane? Even if you succeed, she will know who took it," Elphaba sighed and took Galinda's hand to make her stop.

For a moment they just looked at each other. "Please, help me," Galinda pleaded softly, looking up to the taller girl. "You are the only person I can trust."

This time, there was no way to reject her. The wet sapphire eyes made Elphaba's heart skip a beat and their intertwined fingers did the rest.

"Alright," she agreed and wiped away a tear from the porcelain cheek with her sleeve.

The blonde beamed at her, kissing her green nose on tiptoes before wrapping her arms around Elphaba's body. Her heart melted to the ground as she hugged her back and they were silently holding each other for a while.

"We need a plan," Galinda said determined as she took a step back.

"We will think about this tomorrow. There's some homework to do first," Elphaba chuckled and put Galinda's glasses back on the pouting girl's nose.


	15. Chapter 14

**Here's a brand new chapter for my loyal readers. Thanks again to James Birdsong and Ailish87!  
**

**You're way too good to me :D  
**

**Enjoy reading and to all the fellow Oncers: have a nice OUAT Sunday!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

It didn't even take a week until Peerless sent a handwritten reply to Elphaba's misbehavior, along with Nanny and Nessarose. In his letter he didn't seem very upset, but he thought it would be wise to have Nanny watch over her so she wouldn't get into more trouble than necessary. Since Frex and Shell had set off to Quadling Country earlier this year, and the Eminent was busy caring for state affairs, Nessarose came along. Elphaba didn't quite know whether she should be happy about seeing them again or annoyed to be observed like a brattish child. For the time being, she decided to look forward to it.

Along with Ama Clutch and Galinda, she waited for their carriage at the train station of Shiz. Most of the time, the girls were holding hands, as if they would get lost in the crowd otherwise. Ama Clutch pretended not to notice and chatted with some old hag selling her goods nearby. Elphaba's grip tightened when the Eminent's carriage drove up, making the people pause to look.

"Step back! Make way for Miss Nessarose Thropp, great-granddaughter of His Eminence!" the chauffeur announced so everybody could hear. Perhaps nobody would've known who she is otherwise, but unlike Elphaba, Nessarose was very proud of her descent.

The chauffeur helped the girl getting out of the carriage without stumbling or losing her balance. She was dressed all in blue, a marvelous indigo shawl hiding her disability. After her, Nanny stepped out and put her hand on the girl's back to support her while walking. The last one to get out of the carriage was an unfamiliar woman, much taller than Nanny or Nessa. She had her auburn hair tied up to a bun and wore pants, which was, despite the increasing popularity, still rather unusual in Oz. Before Elphaba could ask Galinda whether she knew who that was, she heard a high pitched cry from the blonde, who immediately let go of the green girl's hand and ran towards her, hugging her fiercely. Elphaba decided that she didn't like that girl, whoever she was.

"It's good to see you again, Fabala," Nessa smiled faintly and let her sister hug her.

"It's good to see you, too." Her eyes were still fixed on Galinda and the other girl, who were still busy hugging and laughing and touching each other. "Who is that?" she finally asked. The sight made her stomach hurt, but she couldn't tear her eyes away.

"She just turned up one day, claiming to be interested in your family's past. His Eminence allowed her to stay and snoop around the house. You can clearly see that she's Gillikinese, all that red hair and sticking their noses in things that simply aren't their business. And just look at what she's wearing!" Nanny exclaimed and put her hand over her heart as if she was about to faint.

"Don't be rude," Nessa warned her and huffed. "She is very nice and kept me company while you had your three-hour-naps. Don't listen to her, Elphaba."

After what seemed to last an eternity, Galinda walked back over to Elphaba, followed by the older woman. Before turning to her green friend, she introduced herself to Nanny and Nessa. "It's such an honor to meet another member of the royal family of Munchkinland," Galinda said genuinely, making a curtsey. Nessa tried to appear nonchalant, but blushed deeply.

"Elphie? I want you to meet my most favorite cousin of all time!" she announced very excited, turning towards her. "Elphaba, this is Amee. Amee, you have the pleasure to meet Elphaba Thropp, Third Descending."

The green one tried to smile at her, but it turned out looking rather awkward as she shook her hand. "Nice to meet you," she mumbled.

"You look so much like her, it's amazing," Amee noticed and carefully examined her. Elphaba felt a little uncomfortable and looked at Galinda for support.

"Let's get back. We need to talk to Madame Morrible about your quarters." The blonde shooed them back towards Crage Hall, continuing to talk to Amee about the time they hadn't seen each other. Elphaba caught herself glaring at the redhead every now and then, wishing she would go back where she had come from. There wasn't a single thing she liked about her.

* * *

As they entered Crage Hall, every professor stopped to happily greet her, even Doctor Dillamond. Amee told them that she had taken a great interest in the Ozian history ever since her grandmother had started telling her stories about Glinda the Good. However, the thing that really kindled her passion was Elsie's rants about the enslavement of Animals. She had spent lots of time with Doctor Dillamond and Professor Mikko, gathering every bit of information she could get. She even spent a few weeks in Southstairs for questioning the motives of the Wizard, claiming that he was the source of everything bad happening in Oz. However, her father, a high-ranking Gale Force officer, managed to get her out of there, promising to keep an eye on his rebellious daughter. The attempt to marry her off to a Gale Force soldier like her twin sister failed and Amee had set off to explore Oz instead, only writing to Galinda and Aurex' family from time to time.

Though Elphaba was intrigued by her stories, she refused to let go of disliking her. She felt like a little girl again, jealous of her father paying more attention to her younger sister than to her. What did she care about the heroic tales of this "perfect" girl? Everybody loved her, especially Doctor Dillamond and Galinda, which bugged her the most. She wouldn't fall for this. Never.

To Elphaba's delight, Madame Morrible didn't seem to be very pleased with her presence either. Though she tried to be polite and even offered them a room, one could clearly see that she would rather throw her out again.

* * *

"She didn't want me to graduate after reading my thesis about how the Wizard had tried to rewrite history," the redhead later told them as they retired to the girls' dorm room. "Morrible's Pro-Wizard. Awful hypocrites, if you ask me." Amee sat down on Galinda's fluffy bed and almost sunk in. "How can you sleep in that?" she asked slightly amused and propped herself up on her elbows.

"You must be really hungry. I'll go and get you something to eat." Before Elphaba could protest, Galinda disappeared, leaving her alone with the girl she loathed for no reason whatsoever. So she did the same she had done with Galinda before her miraculously transformation and sat down on her bed, reading a book. She felt Amee's eyes on her but didn't say a word for a while and neither did Amee.

"How did it feel?" the older girl asked out of the blue.

Elphaba put the book down to look at her for a while. "How did what feel?" she asked and raised her eyebrows.

"Letting the magic float through your body. I may have accidentally read the letter Morrible sent." She simply shrugged as if it wasn't a big thing to snoop around the Eminent's private things.

"That's none of your business," Elphaba coldly said and looked back at her book.

"Your great-grandmother would be rather proud of you, I'd say. You're the first one in the family who possesses that kind of talent. Seems as if it was looking for someone who's worth it."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," the green girl grumbled, getting quite annoyed with her.

"You are oblivious to the truth, aren't you? Such a smart girl unable to distinguish truth from lies. You remind me of myself when I was younger."

_I'm nothing like you_, Elphaba wanted to say, but kept silent as Galinda returned with what was left over from lunch. For the rest of the evening, Amee left the green girl alone, telling her cousin great stories about the Vinkus and Quadling Country instead, where she had spent several years, living like the natives.


	16. Chapter 15

**Had a nice weekend so far? How about a fresh new chapter to make it even better?  
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**Lots of thanks to my loyal readers and all the sweet people who regularly (or not) write some feedback.  
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**We are close to revealing all the secrets.  
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**Enjoy reading and have a great day :D  
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**Chapter 15**

_51 years earlier_

The skies had turned dark hours ago and the claps of thunder grew louder each time, roaring like an army of bloodthirsty Kalidahs stalking their prey. The long awaited rain poured down, now threatening to drown all of Oz. It didn't take long until everybody knew what had happened to Gloma and Abatha, but there was hardly any time to mourn their beloved guardians. Mombi had announced that she wouldn't rest until the remaining two of the "Great Four" were destroyed as well.

They had just made it back to Colwen Grounds before Glinda collapsed in Locasta's arms and lost consciousness. Ozma, who had come to welcome her friends back, stopped midway and looked at them terrified. As long as the girl could remember Glinda had been her guardian; tall, invincible and strong, solid as a rock. Glinda knew everything and was always nice to everybody. There was nobody in all of Oz who didn't love her. Now it seemed as if even Glinda had her limits, which scared the girl terribly. She clung to Peerless' sleeve while some guards brought the sorceress upstairs to his private chambers.

"Is it true? Is she dead?" the Eminent asked softly. He refused to believe the rumors, but as Locasta nodded sadly, he had to sit down, trying hard to gulp back the upcoming tears. The blonde caught a glimpse of Partra, Peerless' daughter, leaving the room weeping, Sophelia in her arms.

Locasta picked up Ozma and went upstairs to check on Glinda. She stayed by her side all night long. While the princess had fallen asleep on the bed next to the redhead, Locasta took one limp hand in her own. Never in her life had she felt so weak and helpless. Oz had always been a peaceful land and Locasta didn't have much to do but to grow some beautiful flowers to decorate the landscapes, while Glinda spent her time reading books and experimenting with magic, trying to find solutions to people's problems. Was this something Glinda could solve? What if she couldn't? What would Glinda do?

"Books," the blonde mumbled with shining eyes. There was nothing she could do here anyway, so she would try to find a way to save Oz, and, most of all, Glinda.

While she rummaged around Abatha's few books on magic, she wished to be back in Ovvels, where Glinda kept her ample library. But there was no time to go there, especially because Locasta wasn't able to go there by bubble. It would be far too dangerous now, anyway. Even Glinda's Great Book of Records wasn't very helpful as long as Mombi wore her necklace, which shielded her from the book and Abatha's Magic Picture. There was no way to tell where she was or what she was doing.

Locasta took some of the books back to Glinda and sat down at the table, her turquoise eyes scanning page by page, hoping to find something useful. However, none of Abatha's books were very handy. Nonetheless she spent every waking hour desperately looking for a straw to clutch at.

* * *

Two days later, a scratching noise woke the blonde. She had fallen asleep at the table last night, her back aching terribly. Glinda hadn't moved since they had come here, but still her heart was beating, soldering on. As Locasta opened the door, a black Cat slipped in, a piece of paper in her mouth. Her fur was wet and she seemed to be exhausted. Bastet put the piece of paper on the floor in front of Locasta and bowed her head.

"Excuse my delay, Lady Locasta. I hope I am not too late," she said while looking over to Glinda. "After I found this, I immediately set off to Colwen Grounds."

"How did you find us?" Locasta asked puzzled and picked the wet piece of paper up.

"Lady Glinda guided me. Don't worry, nobody else knows where you are. Mombi wants you to surrender, but she will wait. She wants to see how long it will take until you can't bear the suffering of our people anymore and sacrifice yourself." The Cat jumped onto the bed and nudged Glinda's nose with her own. Locasta watched with amazement how Glinda woke like she had just taken a nap.

"What did you just do?" the blonde wanted to know, abandoning the paper to rush to Glinda's side.

"I have found a way to separate my consciousness from my body. Bastet happened to be the perfect host." With a weak smile, Glinda sat up to greet Locasta with a kiss. "Do you really think I would leave you on your own so easily? I helped Bastet to find a way to make sure our friends' death wasn't pointless."

"Oh," Locasta mumbled, looking at the piles of books on the desk. She felt a little bit foolish now, knowing that they would've been doomed if their lives would depend on her.

"Don't be sad, my love. You will be the one who saves us." Still a bit shaky, Glinda got out of bed and gave her the paper, which had been ripped out of a book. "It is not the kind of magic I usually practice, but we must make sure that the line of Ozma continues."

The blonde looked at the page and frowned. "_To save all Four Witches, one must survive_. What does that mean?"

"If Mombi succeeds in killing all four of us, we'll be gone forever. But if only one survives, there's a chance to come back eventually. There is no way to reverse the spell she had put on me, so you need to be the one who survives," Glinda said naturally, as if she was sure that there was no way Locasta could disappoint her.

Looking at her eyes, Locasta knew that there was no way to save Glinda and there was no use denying it. Though she was scared of what lay ahead, she had to play her part for a greater good. If she succeeded, they would meet again.

"Lady Glinda, we need to hurry."

"You are right. Where is Tippy?" The redhead took the piece of paper and hurried downstairs, looking for her ward.

"Glinda!" the girl exclaimed, jumping from Partra's lap, running towards the redhead. "I thought you were going to die," she sobbed. Glinda didn't want to lie to her, so she just hugged the girl and kissed the top of her head.

"Father is preparing funeral ceremony for mother. He told me to help you as well as in any way possible," Partra told them as she rose from her seat. She was barely twenty years old, but she would soon take the place of her father as the rightful heir to the throne, as soon as her second daughter, Melena, was born.

"We need to get to the Glikkus as quickly as possible," Glinda said. She needed to save all her energy for the spell and thus couldn't take all of them there by bubble.

"You can take one of our carriages. The Madeleine pass is not the fastest way, but the safest. Most of the land is flooded," she explained while showing them the route on a map. "We will make sure they won't get in your way. Munchkinland's resistance will never be broken, no matter what kind of Witch or Wizard threatens our land," Partra said determined, calling for someone who would take them to the Glikkus safely.

"Your mother would be so proud of you," Glinda smiled and kissed her forehead, right before she took Princess Ozma's hand and headed to the carriage with Locasta.


	17. Chapter 16

**Alright, guys! Sorry for the delay, but I got a nasty cold and so I'm spending most of the time in bed.  
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**A million kisses to all the sweet people who read and review this!  
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**Next chapter will be the chapter of revelations!  
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**Stay tuned and enjoy reading!  
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**Chapter 16**

For the next few weeks, it was almost impossible to spend time alone with Galinda. Amee was constantly at the blonde's side, keeping her busy with discussions about history, magic and Animals. The redhead was delighted about her sudden interest and there seemed to be no topic she didn't have a story for. For the first time in two months, Elphaba wished Galinda would just shut up and go shopping with her stupid friends instead of harboring her omniscient cousin in their room.

"Do you really think they just disappeared out of nowhere and the great Wizard was looking so hard for Glinda that he literally turned every stone to find her? Have you ever talked to someone who's older than 50? They don't know anything about that time. Isn't that a bit strange?" Amee leaned back, snuggling up to Galinda's cushions.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. She had listened to the same thing for the past two weeks and was sick of it.

"Have you found anything that proves they existed or are you just keen on telling fairytales?" she snapped and put her book away.

Both Amee and Galinda were surprised about Elphaba's sudden outburst and looked at her, stunned.

"I can't believe you really asked this after I told you about…you know what," Galinda pouted and crossed her arms. How could she doubt the authenticity of the book?

"You don't know anything about the book, Galinda. It could've been anything."

"So? Tell me something about your great-grandmother," Amee said, raising an eyebrow.

"She died before my mother was born. I don't know anything about her. What has that got to do with anything?"

"Yes, she died. About the same time the Good Witch of the East died. Curious, isn't it?" Amee rose from the bed and took an apple from the fruit basket on the table. "Your great-grandfather knows quite a lot about those _fairytales_."

"So you're suggesting I'm related to a fairytale character? Just like your crazy grandmother claimed to be Glinda the Good's daughter?" the green girl snorted, clenching her fists. Who in Oz' name was this person to think she knew her family better than she did?

"How dare you! It's not my fault you trust your books more than common sense. You wouldn't believe it even if Glinda the Good would punch you right in your face!" the redhead hissed and was close to do so herself.

"Which she would never do, I assure you. Now stop it at once! You behave like two five-year-olds." Galinda frowned at them, forcing both girls to sit down again.

"It is really rude to insult someone because they don't believe the same things you do, Amee. I will no longer accept your rivalry, especially because you are so much alike." With a long and deep sigh the blonde turned toward the green girl. "I thought you trusted me, Elphie."

"I do, but-"

"We will go and see the Wizard. Perhaps we can find out anything when we are there," Galinda said, sitting down next to Elphaba.

"Be careful. I don't trust him and neither should you," Amee warned them and took a bite from the apple.

* * *

For Galinda's sake, Elphaba and Amee tried to play nice whenever the blonde was around. Still, neither of them really liked the other. Elphaba was glad she didn't have to put up with her during lectures, until she found out why the redhead was here in the first place. Apart from visiting her little cousin, Amee wanted to take the place of Professor Mikko, who would retire next year. However, Madame Morrible didn't seem to be happy about this idea. Though Professor Mikko allowed her to assist him during his lectures, the headmistress showed up once in a while, starting to argue with Amee about her views.

"There is no such a thing as a secret prison underneath a graveyard in the Emerald City, Miss Amee. And even if there was, Ozma Regent Pastorius would've never been there, dead or alive." Morrible used her death glare to silence her. While other students would've turned pale by now, Amee crossed her arms and shot a glare back at her.

"So you want to tell me that Southstairs is just another myth? And that Pastorius just handed over the throne when the Wizard invaded Oz?" she said furiously. Even her own father had tried to tell her that she had just been under observation and not in a prison. There is no prison in Oz, he had said. Oz is a free land.

"Ozma Regent Pastorius knew what's best for Oz, my dear. That the Ozma Regent's health failed while under house arrest – for his own good, I assure you – was a mere coincidence. And a horrible one at that."

"Pastorius was murdered! And you know that as well as I do!" Amee cried, ready to be getting at Morrible, only held back by Professor Mikko.

"Miss Amee, you should be careful what you are saying," Morrible admonished her and turned around to leave.

Elphaba, who had been sitting in the first row, was not sure what to think about this. A part of her still didn't want to trust that girl, but she even took the risk of attracting the attention of the Gale Force to defend her beliefs. Would Elphaba be this brave if someone would question her views? Then again, just believing something doesn't make it true, does it?

* * *

When Elphaba left the lecture hall, Grommetik was waiting outside with a letter. It had Elphaba's name on it, so she picked it up and briefly thought about giving the Tik Tok a kick to say "thank you". Instead she read the letter and had a pretty queasy feeling about it. Quickly she stuffed it in her bag and looked for Galinda, who had had a sorcery lesson and was at the other end of the building.

Panting, the green girl found her standing in the hallway, chatting with Milla.

"We need to talk," Elphaba said, trying to calm down a little.

"I have to study anyway. Goodbye, Miss Galinda," Milla smiled and ran off, hoping that the others didn't see her with the blonde.

"What is it?" Galinda asked worried and took Elphaba's bag from her to carry it.

"The Wizard wants to see us sooner," Elphaba paused to gasp for air. "We have to leave tomorrow."

* * *

It was still dark outside when they set off. They had told them that there was a problem with the train so they had to take a carriage to the Emerald City. There was no time to say goodbye to Amee or Nessa and not even Ama Clutch or Nanny knew about their journey. They were on their own now.

"I don't like that," Galinda mumbled and snuggled up to Elphaba. They could barely see their own hands in front of their faces.

"Me neither." There was a long silence until the green girl plucked up her courage at last. "You know, I've been thinking about you a lot lately, and I think-"

"Shh! Do you hear that?" Galinda almost tilted forwards as the carriage stopped abruptly. It was still pitch dark outside and she couldn't make out the reason of this lack of movement. The coachman didn't answer so she got out of the carriage herself.

"Are you mad?" Elphaba grumbled, but followed her.

"Hello? Is there a problem? Maybe I can help," the blonde suggested, but there was no answer. All she could see was a weirdly colored fog that made her all dizzy. As she turned around to Elphaba, the green girl was already motionless lying on the floor. The blonde sank down on her knees as well, her eyes too heavy to keep open. The last thing she saw were two dark figures standing above her. Then everything went black.


	18. Chapter 17

**Hey there! I'm terribly sorry for letting you wait so long, but my grandmother is in the hospital and it's hard to concentrate on the fanfiction at the moment. I hope she'll be better soon and that you are a little patient with dear old emotional me.**

**Here's the next chapter, enjoy reading :)**

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**Chapter 17**

The blonde had no idea how much time had passed until she finally came back to her senses. Her vision was blurry at first; the only thing she could make out was the green of Elphaba next to her. They lay on something soft; a bed maybe. There was light coming from a fireplace and two people sat in front of it, talking to each other.

"Are you sure they are fine?" asked a female voice, turning around to check on them. Galinda quickly closed her eyes again, pretending to be asleep.

"Of course they are. Poppies don't hurt anybody. At least if you know how to use them," answered the second woman.

"And that's her? I mean, she doesn't look like…I just want to be sure we didn't get the wrong girl." The first woman got up from her seat and walked over to the bed. She stood there for a while, looking at the sleeping girls.

"Don't worry, I am sure it is her. Can't you feel it?" a third voice said. Galinda hadn't seen a third person. Suddenly she felt something next to her on the bed that surely wasn't Elphaba.

"She's awake." The voice was next to her ear and made the girl wince. They knew. Slowly she opened her eyes and met a pair of sparkling green orbs. Purring, the black Cat nudged Galinda's cheek with her nose.

"It is good to see you again, Your Goodness," she said, taking a step back to bow her head.

"I don't understand…" Galinda mumbled perplexed and sat up. "Who are you?"

The women looked at one another, mirroring each other's anxiety, as if they had feared that she would say something like this.

The taller one stepped forward, reaching out for the blonde's hand. Galinda hadn't met someone from the Vinkus before, but Amee had told her many stories about the Winkies and their peculiar blue tattoos and dark skin. She had never seen anybody with hair like that and she liked the yellow robes the woman wore. The blonde could see her own reflection in her kind eyes, which were just as blue as her own.

"I am Gloma, formerly known as the Good Witch of the West. We have been looking for you," she said, taking her hand to help her out of the bed, since Galinda's knees were still a bit shaky.

As she stood, the second woman took her other hand in her own. "My name is Abatha, the Good Witch of the East. Your consciousness has been sealed for many years. It is quite normal that you can't remember yet," she said with a smile. Galinda could not describe the feeling she had, standing there with two women who claimed to be Abatha and Gloma. If it was true, would that mean that they really thought she was…?

"Who is your friend?" Gloma asked after a long silence. Galinda noticed that she had been staring at them for a couple of minutes without saying a word. The blonde cleared her throat and tucked a golden curl behind her ear.

"Elphaba Thropp," she answered mechanically, sitting down again to process the new information.

"Thropp? You mean she is…" Abatha paused, approaching the bed to take a closer look at the green girl. "Is she Peerless' granddaughter?"

"Great-granddaughter," the Cat told her, still sitting on the bed next to Elphaba. "She is Melena's daughter. As far as I know, she's the heiress to the throne. Partra, Sophelia and Melena died years ago."

Abatha was quiet for a while, staring at Elphaba. "Excuse me," she mumbled with a tearful voice and left the room.

"Wasn't there a nicer way to tell her that her daughter and granddaughters are dead?" Gloma grumbled and rubbed her forehead. "Sometimes you're a horrible person, Bastet."

"We have more important things to do. We need to find Lady Locasta and the princess and get back the throne." The black Cat glared at the witch and brought Galinda an old piece of paper.

"I will check on Bathy," the dark skinned woman said annoyed and followed her friend. "Heartless thing."

"So it was true. I found the Great Book of Records in Madame Morrible's office," Galinda told the Cat and took the piece of paper.

"We have already been wondering where it might be. Mombi tore apart the whole palace to find your body. She destroyed everything she had no use for and cursed Quadling Country, so there wouldn't grow any corn or flowers ever again," Bastet explained and shook her head. "I don't know what became of her. After all, I had my orders."

Galinda turned around as she heard Elphaba growling behind her. The girl knelt down on the bed and leaned over to her green friend.

"Elphie? Are you alright?" she asked, happy not to be alone with those people anymore.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know yet, but it's okay. They don't seem to want to harm us." Galinda took her hand and helped her to sit up. She didn't let go as Gloma and a tear-stained Abatha returned. "Don't freak out now, but I think Amee was right about your great-grandmother," Galinda whispered in her ear.

"What? Please, my head feels like it's going to explode any second," Elphaba murmured, squeezing her eyes shut. The bright colors of the women's clothes only made matters worse and Galinda's high-pitched voice did the rest. Was this a horrible nightmare? Why did she talk about Amee again? Where were they? And why weren't they on their way to the Emerald City anymore?

"You must've hit your head when you fell." With shaky hands, Abatha filled a teacup and brought it over to Elphaba. "Here, drink that. It will help you."

The student eyed the weirdly glowing beverage suspiciously. "You want me to drink that," she stated dryly, but Abatha simply nodded. After receiving an encouraging smile from Galinda, Elphaba gulped it down and made a face while handing back the empty cup. "Ugh, what in Oz' name was that?" she asked disgusted.

"You don't want to know that, sweetheart," Gloma grinned and shooed the Cat off the bed so Abatha could sit down. "She sure has your nose, Bathy. But I wonder where that odd color comes from." The witch leaned closer to examine Elphaba.

"Shush! I don't care where it comes from. It's fine the way it is. Don't listen to her. What does she know," Abatha chuckled and took the green girl's hands in her own as if they were precious gems. Elphaba wanted to pull away, but suddenly she understood what Galinda wanted to tell her. Amee's stupid suggestion that "the Good Witch of the East" was her great-grandmother was true? Elphaba had had no idea what Abatha looked like, but there was a portrait of a woman back in Colwen Grounds that looked like her. Nanny had told her once that this had been her great-grandmother, who had passed away before Melena was born, but even her Ama didn't know more about her.

"Would you please stop the sentiments? Your Goodness, we have to find Lady Locasta and Ozma Tippetarius now. Our enemies are already looking for us," Bastet said in frustration, jumping on the bed again.

"They are? But-"

"The Wizard knows exactly how this is working. They are scanning the land for people with extraordinary magical skills and lock them up. This is the only reason Crage Hall exists. It's a trap," the Cat points out. "We have to get your memories back as soon as possible. We don't have time to search the whole land for the fourth witch."

Galinda wasn't very thrilled about all this new information. How could she be Glinda the Good, when she was just a student? What did they expect from her? The blonde looked over to Elphaba, who seemed to be a little confused as well.

"We are heading to Quadling Country at dusk," Gloma announced. "Try to get some sleep, it won't be a pleasant journey."


End file.
